Post by paule on Jun 12, 2007 12:41:24 GMT 11
Some reviews are in.
Please, if you have not booked your tickets yet, come along and see this show. It's a great night out!
HOT MIKADO - reviewed by Bill Watts of Inner FM
We may have seen higher quality productions this year, but we certainly have not seen a more entertaining show than Mountain District’s current presentation of “Hot Mikado” at the Karralyka Centre, Ringwood. From the opening bars of the overture to the closing moments of the finale, “Hot Mikado” is obviously a fun show for the cast that quickly becomes a fun show for the audience, whose sustained bursts of applause and frequently-repeated belly laughs gave evidence of a good time being had by all.
“Hot Mikado” retains the story and lyrics of Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic operetta, “The Mikado”, while transposing the music and costumes to a later Japan where Swing is King. G& S traditionalists might bemoan the “degradation” of Sullivan’s music but the fact is that the music has been popularised and made available to a generation who might otherwise never enjoy its wonderful harmonies. Few if any changes have been made to Gilbert’s acerbic lyrics, however they are presented in a way that brings their wonderful humour to the fore.
Credit for the transformation in this production must go to Director Paul Watson and his production team. In his words, their vision was “to focus on the two original formats that have made this show a commercial favourite – swing & Gilbert and Sullivan”. Their vision comes to life in the work of the principals, the ensemble and the orchestra under MD Ryan Jacobs.
Each of the principals makes a unique contribution to the show. Jasmine Dare as Yum-Yum is an enchanting schoolgirl, and has just the voice and technique to convert the melodious “Sun & I” into a modern pop song without any loss of its original beauty. David Short as the callow, youthful Nanki-Poo provides a delightfully gentle romance with Yum-Yum; at the same time he is a perfect foil for much of the manic activity of Jonathan Guthrie-Jones as Ko-Ko. Guthrie-Jones actually looks rather like film star, Jim Carrey, and has perfected much of Carrey’s use of body language and gestures in his comedy. His reactions to the plot twists with which he is continually faced never miss a beat, but they never go over the top. Never once did he upstage his fellows, yet he was the centre of every eye while he was onstage. His performance is just brilliant.
Guthrie-Jones’s performance is matched by that given by Frieda Lai as Katisha. This lady has a powerful deep voice which she uses to dominate proceedings brilliantly from her entrance to hilarious her capitulation to Ko-Ko in “Beauty In the Bellow”. Her gospel singing opposite the equally strong but higher-pitched voice of Brigid DeNeefe as Pitti-Sing in the finale to Act I provide a completely memorable theatrical moment. I thought the true measure of Freida’s performance however was the fact that she elicited from me a certain sympathy for Katisha – the only actor I have known to do so.
The ensemble including the six Gentlemen of Japan, led by Harry Tseng as Pish-Tush, provide the show with much of its energy. The audience’s attention was immediately grabbed by the show’s opening when the ensemble set the tone of the show to come. They had obviously been worked hard at rehearsal to develop a genuine esprit de corps that showed in their cheerful and energetic dance pieces, imaginatively choreographed by Lyndall McGregor. They are well supported by the orchestra that had earlier been reduced to just seven members. This turned out to be the right decision as they were well able to set the right tempo throughout, without ever being loud enough to drown the lyrics. The final touches to the production are given by the elegant but simple set, lighting that captures the mood of each scene, and costumes that are a remarkable mixture of traditional and contemporary.
Actually, the costumes like the rest of this production, reflect the company’s total achievement of their director’s original vision – to focus on just two formats, the traditional (Gilbert & Sullivan) and the contemporary (swing). This is a production not to be missed under any circumstances if you enjoy musical theatre.
Please, if you have not booked your tickets yet, come along and see this show. It's a great night out!
HOT MIKADO - reviewed by Bill Watts of Inner FM
We may have seen higher quality productions this year, but we certainly have not seen a more entertaining show than Mountain District’s current presentation of “Hot Mikado” at the Karralyka Centre, Ringwood. From the opening bars of the overture to the closing moments of the finale, “Hot Mikado” is obviously a fun show for the cast that quickly becomes a fun show for the audience, whose sustained bursts of applause and frequently-repeated belly laughs gave evidence of a good time being had by all.
“Hot Mikado” retains the story and lyrics of Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic operetta, “The Mikado”, while transposing the music and costumes to a later Japan where Swing is King. G& S traditionalists might bemoan the “degradation” of Sullivan’s music but the fact is that the music has been popularised and made available to a generation who might otherwise never enjoy its wonderful harmonies. Few if any changes have been made to Gilbert’s acerbic lyrics, however they are presented in a way that brings their wonderful humour to the fore.
Credit for the transformation in this production must go to Director Paul Watson and his production team. In his words, their vision was “to focus on the two original formats that have made this show a commercial favourite – swing & Gilbert and Sullivan”. Their vision comes to life in the work of the principals, the ensemble and the orchestra under MD Ryan Jacobs.
Each of the principals makes a unique contribution to the show. Jasmine Dare as Yum-Yum is an enchanting schoolgirl, and has just the voice and technique to convert the melodious “Sun & I” into a modern pop song without any loss of its original beauty. David Short as the callow, youthful Nanki-Poo provides a delightfully gentle romance with Yum-Yum; at the same time he is a perfect foil for much of the manic activity of Jonathan Guthrie-Jones as Ko-Ko. Guthrie-Jones actually looks rather like film star, Jim Carrey, and has perfected much of Carrey’s use of body language and gestures in his comedy. His reactions to the plot twists with which he is continually faced never miss a beat, but they never go over the top. Never once did he upstage his fellows, yet he was the centre of every eye while he was onstage. His performance is just brilliant.
Guthrie-Jones’s performance is matched by that given by Frieda Lai as Katisha. This lady has a powerful deep voice which she uses to dominate proceedings brilliantly from her entrance to hilarious her capitulation to Ko-Ko in “Beauty In the Bellow”. Her gospel singing opposite the equally strong but higher-pitched voice of Brigid DeNeefe as Pitti-Sing in the finale to Act I provide a completely memorable theatrical moment. I thought the true measure of Freida’s performance however was the fact that she elicited from me a certain sympathy for Katisha – the only actor I have known to do so.
The ensemble including the six Gentlemen of Japan, led by Harry Tseng as Pish-Tush, provide the show with much of its energy. The audience’s attention was immediately grabbed by the show’s opening when the ensemble set the tone of the show to come. They had obviously been worked hard at rehearsal to develop a genuine esprit de corps that showed in their cheerful and energetic dance pieces, imaginatively choreographed by Lyndall McGregor. They are well supported by the orchestra that had earlier been reduced to just seven members. This turned out to be the right decision as they were well able to set the right tempo throughout, without ever being loud enough to drown the lyrics. The final touches to the production are given by the elegant but simple set, lighting that captures the mood of each scene, and costumes that are a remarkable mixture of traditional and contemporary.
Actually, the costumes like the rest of this production, reflect the company’s total achievement of their director’s original vision – to focus on just two formats, the traditional (Gilbert & Sullivan) and the contemporary (swing). This is a production not to be missed under any circumstances if you enjoy musical theatre.